Secrets and Lies
by Izout
Summary: Geraldine Slater was suppose to be at a study group with some friends before running into car trouble and stopping at the library. To make matters worse, the books she needs are in the hands of Chris Chambers.


Not mines, don't sue.

* * *

Chris Chambers zips up his worn out jacket as he walks against the strong wind. The rain droplets and autumn leaves block his perpetual vision so much that he has to use his forearms to shield his eyes, squinting just to see. He was on his way to the library to get some homework done as well as study for a big test. Normally he and Gordie would get together to study over the weekend, but Gord was away out of town that day, so Chris decided to just get the work done himself and maybe Gordie can look over it.

Chris was really determined to get his schoolwork done himself since if he didn't, he felt would have been better off in the shop courses with the rest of the retards. By the time he reached the library, he looked across the street and saw a tow truck lifting up a corvette and a girl talking to a person. Looks like another accident. Once he got inside, he went to the librarian to ask her where the books he needed were. After getting the directions, he picked up the books he needed from the aisles and went to find a table.

The next couple of minutes were uneventful until he heard the door open and saw that same girl from outside coming in and heading to the librarian.

"Excuse me, may I use your phone?" The girl asked.

"Uh yes, it's in the back." The librarian told her.

"And how much does it cost to use the phone? I can pay for it." The girl asked, digging into her purse. The librarian just put a hand up.

"It doesn't cost anything miss, especially if it's just a local call." The librarian told her sweetly.

Chris just raised an eyebrow at this. He guessed this girl must have been from The View. He continued on with his work as the girl went into the back. Minutes later she came out and was talking to the librarian again, but Chris was so consumed into his work that he didn't even notice she came over to him until she cleared her throat.

"Uh excuse me?" Chris looked up and this time he got a real good look at her. Blonde hair and blue eyed, red lipstick on her lips. From the prim and proper way she looked, he was right in guessing this girl from The View. "I need to use those books."

Chris just looked down at the books before returning his gaze onto her. "But I need to use these books."

She looked at him dryly. "I think I need to use those books more than you do. I was suppose to go to a group study session with my boyfriend, but I can't reach him at his house, and I have a test to study for Monday so I need those books."

"I need these books too," Chris told her, "I got a test Monday to." The girl just rolled her eyes and dug into her purse and took out two twenty dollar bills.

"If I give you forty dollars, will you let me have those books?" She asked him. Chris's eyes just widen at that money. Forty dollars! He could buy a new jacket with that cash, and maybe some other new clothes to replace his hand-me-downs. It was tempting, but Chris ultimately decided against it.

"No." He told her.

"No?" She said back, shocked.

"No, I want to get this done so I have the weekend free." He told her. She gave out an exaggerated sigh, but Chris then came up with an alternative. "Hey, why don't we share the books?" She raised an eyebrow, "I mean, we both have the same subjects, I can use one book and you can use the others. We can rotate." He suggested.

She put a delicate finger to her chin, as she considered the arrangement, before nodding.

"All right, we can do that." She then put her bag on the table and got out her supplies. "I'm Geraldine Slater."

"Chris Chambers."

"Chambers?" She inquired. The name seemed familiar, and then she realized who she was sitting next to. "Chambers." Chris just looked down embarrassed. Great, another person who knows him.

* * *

The clock ticked as the minutes passed away slowly. Their section of the library was mostly quiet saved for the sounds of their pencils scribbling against their notebook paper. Once in a while Chris would try to make some small talk like ask her about the weather (cold and rainy), has she seen any good movies lately, did she think the school's basketball team had any chance against Portland's, did she have any other plans this weekend (when she quirked an eyebrow at this, he hastily assured her it was just asked in general curiosity, great, she probably thought he was trying to ask her out), what did she plan to do after graduating, etc. Basically generic and plain question, because he knew the two of them would never have anything in common.

They both continued working on their homework until Geraldine's pencil broke.

"Shit!" She whispered under her breath. She was about to go sharpen it when Chris went into his pack and got a new one.

"Here, you can use this one." He told her. She looked from the pencil to him.

"And how much does it cost to let me use this?" Chris just stared at her surprised.

"Nothing." Jesus, does everyone on the View think everything has to have price attached to it? Is it really hard to believe someone might just do something out of common decency? Geraldine was surprised by this, but took the pencil from him, noticing for the first time how his eyes were a lovely shade of blue in the process.

The two continue to work in silence. Chris would sneak glances at Geraldine and notice how she would write something down, look at it, erase it, and then write something else. She would do this so many times that eraser shaving would end up on his work.

"Hey, uh, need some help?" He asked her. She jumped, startled like she didn't expect him to start speaking again.

"Yeah, I can't figure out this equation." She pointed. Chris lean over and looked at it, tensing.

"Um, Math really more Gord's thing, but I think I help you out with this one. You're suppose to put a zero here and then a five here and then…" Chris explained to her. Geraldine just nodded her head and listen to everything he said. Her friends and boyfriend would be shocked to find out she was getting help with her homework from Chris Chambers of all people. She always heard rumors about him, none of them exactly positive. She once heard how he stole the milk money back in Elementary school, which made her clutched her purse to her chest whenever he moved an inch or lean forward.

But, taking a good look at him right now, she had to admit he was actually pretty cute, but how cute he was the least of her priorities.

"Geraldine?" A voice broke through her thoughts. She shook her head and looked at him, him giving her an odd look.

"What?"

"Did you get all that?"

"Um, yeah, thanks." She smiled at him nervously.

"No problem." He smiled back. You know how they say a smile can light up a room? Well, Geraldine was wishing she had brought her sun glasses.

"I got this." She told him hurriedly, grabbing her stuff and moving it down the table. He looked at her frowning. "Really, thanks for the help." She smiled at him again as if to reassure him.

'_No Geraldine!'_ She thought to herself, '_You are not going to get all giddy and giggling because Chris Chambers smiled at you!'_

With that, the two went back to work, awkward silence surrounding them. The clock kept ticking away. She watched him work, the way his pencil would twirl around his fingers and how he would clutch it as wrote with him or ran a finger across the page of the book he was looking at. Chris seem to have rather strong hands, and a niggling part of her brain wonder what it would feel like to have his hands touch her skin… as well as other places.

Ugh, time could not get any slower.

* * *

Chris let out a yawn. He looked up at the clock, it was seven thirty-two, and boy was it getting late. Geraldine watched him stand up and take off his jacket, lightly licking her lips. Chris had a rather nice body, the way his shirt seemed to clung onto him, revealing his well-defined muscles. He was a lot more buffer than most of the guys she's been around.

Geraldine felt her cheeks heat up. "Do you know what time the library closes?" She asked, burying her face into her book.

"Uh…" Chris looked up at the clock. "In about twenty-five minutes."

"Oh." Was all she said. As she looked around, she saw that, saved for a few stragglers, the library was almost completely deserted. "Can you excuse me for a minute while I use the phone?"

"Go ahead." He just shrugged. Geraldine got up and went to the phone. It was starting to get really late and she didn't want to try walking down the streets of Castle Rock alone, in fear of getting lots of catcalls and harassment from all the local hoodlums in this town or worse. She hoped her car was fixed.

* * *

Chris just leaned against the book shelf. When Geraldine returned, he saw she was frustrated.

"Hey, something wrong?" He asked her, but she didn't say anything, "Are you okay?"

"I'm stranded here. I called the Auto Repair shop and they said my car won't be finish until tomorrow. I tried calling my parents, I tried calling my boyfriend, I tried calling my friends, none of them would answer the phone!" She shook her fists, the knuckles turning white.

"I can walk you home." He offered. Geraldine shook her head.

"No, you don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to." He reassured, "And it's getting pretty bad out there." He was right, the rain was getting heavier out there and the wind was whipping. She just sighed in defeat.

"All right, let's get going."

"Wait, let me get my stuff packed up and I'll be ready." He told her. She watched him stuff his notebook in his pack and put most of the books away. This reminded her to get her supplies packed away too. Once he was ready, he slung his pack over his shoulder and lead the way, Geraldine following him.

* * *

"Great weather we're having huh?" Chris remark as they traveled down the street, constantly wiping rain drops off his face.

"The peachiest." Geraldine smiled a strained smile, sarcasm heavy in her voice. Chris just laugh, and she had to admit, it was a nice sweet laugh that made her feel all fuzzy inside. Damn it, not again!

The continued on their trek until Chris spoke up again. "We aren't exactly getting along, are we?"

"Not really surprising," Geraldine responded as she picked her way disdainfully through puddles and garbage, "Considering I live on the View and you live in…" She trailed off.

"Don't remind me." Chris grimaced, thinking about how his dad will react when he comes home late. She frowned, she couldn't believe she was actually starting to feel bad for Chris Chambers, even though a nagging part of her brain was telling her she was being rude.

"I didn't mean it." She apologized.

"Yeah you did." Chris told her, "I'm use to it," shoving his hands into his pockets. Geraldine just looked ahead, trying to keep her mind off of what happen. Again, why was she feeling bad for this kid? He was Chris Chambers, some nobody really. A nobody with really soft pink lips that a part of her wanted to feel on her own.

A strong gust blew and sent shivers throughout her body. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempted to keep warm. Chris notice this and took off his jacket, handing it to her.

"Here."

"No, I couldn't." Geraldine Slater wouldn't be caught dead in something so trashy.

"You need this more than I do." He told her. "Go on." He waved the jacket in front of her. She continued staring at it before reluctantly taking it from him and putting it on. "Better?"

"Yeah." She inhaled the jacket's scent, it smelled like sweat and the wilderness. Is that what the lower class kids do in their free time?

"I saw the way you were looking at me." He told her. Geraldine felt her stomach do a flip.

"What?"

"At the library," he told her, she felt her heartbeat start to increased, "The way you held onto her purse. You looked like I was going take it and run out of there with it." She let out a sigh of relief.

"I didn't think that," She told him. "Not really."

"Of course you did." He told her flatly. She tried to protest again, but he just gave her a pointed look.

"It's just, y'know…" She said, "You hear things."

"From what everybody says about me behind my back." He said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"And you folks never say anything about us behind our backs?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

Chris just frowned. "Well, maybe."

"I hate this town." This was a comment he wasn't expecting to her. When she caught him looking at her, she continued, "Everyone here expects me to be just like mother: prim and proper, marry a wealthy man, and smile and nod at all the fancy parties we go to." She then sighed, "I can't wait until I'm finished with high school, so I can go to college out of state and cut all ties with this place."

Chris marveled at her. In a lot of ways, it was similar to his life. Everybody expected him to end up at the bar with the rest of the drunks in this town like his dad or get into small-time crime like his brother. He believed that he would never get out of this, but Gordie's constant reassurance was starting to make him actually believed he actually could.

"Hey, why don't we just agree we were both wrong about each other," Chris suggested.

Geraldine couldn't help but feel her lips curl up in a half smile. "I wouldn't mind that."

"What?" He furrowed his brow.

"Being wrong about you."

He felt his own lips start to curl up, "I wouldn't mind that either."

There was silence for a minute.

"This is my neighborhood." She spoke. Chris jumped at this. "I can make it the rest of the way."

"Huh? Oh yeah," Realizing what she meant, a kid like him seen wandering around this neighborhood? He wouldn't surprise if someone alerted the sheriff on him for just taking a minute to smell the flowers.

Geraldine turned to walk away when she remembered something.

"You're jacket." She was about to take it off when Chris put a hand up.

"That okay, I can always get it back from you another time." He told her. "Maybe we could meet up tomorrow at the library. I wasn't finish with my homework and I don't think you were either."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Not if I see you first." And with that, the two parted ways.

* * *

Geraldine came into the house, "Mommy, Daddy, I'm home." She called out. There was no answer. The house itself was completely silent. Geraldine couldn't say she wasn't surprised, when she called the house earlier nobody answered. She made her way to her room when she glanced at the dining room and saw a couple bills and a note on the table. She went over to pick up the note and read it.

_Geraldine,_

_Your father and I are at the 5__th__ Annual Stanford __Cotillion ball. Here's some money for you and your friends to get something to eat while you all study. I hope you all have a good time._

_Love,_

_Mom_

Geraldine just stared at the money before picking up and putting it in her purse.

* * *

"_And that's how the visit went_." Gordie told Chris over the phone, "_How did your day go?_"

"It went alright. Tried to get some homework done while you were gone." Chris told him.

"_Want me to look over it?_"

"Naw man, that's okay, you take a break. Besides I'm not finished with it yet." Chris told his friend smiling, even though he knew Gordie couldn't see it.

"_Anything else happen?_" Chris pondered this.

"Oh yeah, yeah man, I was also doing homework this girl."

"_A girl?_" He could hear Gordie smirking on the other end. "_We know her?_"

"You know Geraldine Slater?"

"_Geraldine-Geraldine Slater? You went out with Geraldine Slater?!_"

" I didn't go out with her, we were just doing homework together." Chris reassured him.

"_Jesus man, don't scare me like that. You know how those girls are like._"

He understood what Gordie meant. When Chris had told her he had seen her looking at him like he was gonna steal her stuff, he also noticed she would also give another certain look. A look he seen Betty Stinson give Gordie, the same look he seen the floozies give Eyeball that he brought back home, a look he even seen a few girls give him, as much as they tried to deny it.

Sure Chris has gone out on the odd date, kissed a few girls, nothing serious. Because very few girls had the guts to go out with a Chambers kid, especially a girl from the View. He had overheard Ace Merrill once said that girls like her don't go out with guys like them, even in the causal sense. They don't do it unless they were trying to get back at their folks or were feeling curious about the whole thing. To a lot of those girls, their reputation and status was important to them, so to lose that would be devastating to them.

No more invites to good parties, no more people to sit in class with, and the middle class kids would probably take part in to just to get own the View kids' good side. Chris couldn't even imagine what it would feel like if all his old friends were to just turn their backs on him.

"I know man, I wasn't thinkin' it." He told him, running his hand through his hair.

"_I hope so, last thing I want to do is listen to you crying like a pussy over the phone about it._" Gordie joked.

"Fuck you, man." Chris laughed.

"_I'll see you tomorrow_."

"See ya."

* * *

"_Gerry, where were you last night, I missed you baby_." Her boyfriend Leslie asked her over the phone.

"At the library. One of my tires broke out of it's axel so I had to get it fixed. The better question is where were you? I tried calling you." She asked him through gritted teeth.

"_Oh, sorry Gerry, we all went out for Pizza after we were finish studying, sorry_." He said sympathetically.

"And you didn't think to find me?" She practically screamed into the phone. She was lying on her bed, rubbing her temples. Her room filled with pink and frilly lace.

"_I tried calling your house but nobody answered!_" Leslie shot back. "_I said I was sorry, it's not my fault your car broke down._"

"You're not sorry, you just don't care, if you did you would have tried to find me. Thanks to you I was stuck having to do homework with Chris Chambers."

There was silence on the line and Geraldine started to wonder if Leslie had hung up until he spoke again.

"_Henry Wilkins said he saw you walking with Chris Chambers_." Shit! Someone had seen them. "_Gerry, what were you thinking hanging around with him for?_"

She could feel hot tears stream down her cheeks. "Because he actually bothered to take me home, something you never did!" With that, she hung up the phone on him. She was grateful her parents weren't home right now otherwise she would have to explain to them why she was fighting with her boyfriend over the phone. She was about to wallow in self-pity until she heard the doorbell ring.

* * *

Chris looked around, hoping he had the right place. He had checked the phone book and saw there were only three Slaters in Castle Rock so he hoped this was the right one. He knew he was risking his ass just standing out here.

He shifted around, feeling like he didn't belong here when the door open.

"Hey, I was at the library waiting for you to show up, and when you didn't I thought I could come over here and—" He stop when he took a good look at her. Her eyes were puffy, snot was running down her nose, and her breathing was heavy. "Are you okay?"

She tried to hold herself together, but was on the verge of breaking down again. She turned around and tried to slam the door on him, but he quickly stuck his foot in the way. "Geraldine?" He called out into the empty house. Figuring he better go in for broke, he let himself in and tried to find her. "Geraldine?" His voiced echoed. He eventually found her in the kitchen. At least he thought it was the kitchen. Calling this a kitchen would be like calling The Grand Canyon a crack in the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Go away." She told him.

"No, what's wrong? You can tell me."

"Go!" She ordered, "Take your jacket and just go!" She picked it up from behind the sofa and threw it at him. He caught it, but put it down on the floor.

"Geraldine, I can't leave you like this, what happen? Did somebody hurt you?"

"Just go, everything fine." She told her, blowing her nose.

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"Geraldine, you look like a mess. What happen?" Chris asked her again. She was _not_ going to run to him for comfort. She didn't _need_ his comfort. If she did, she fall apart, but at this point, she was going to fall apart anyway. She was glad no one else was around except them, if someone saw her, someone who mattered, she would die.

Chris inched closer, and slowly stuck out a hand, afraid that if he touched her, she'd immediately fall to pieces. He eventually manage to put a comforting arm around her shoulder, running his hand up and down her arm.

Eventually she stop resisting and cried into his chest. His embrace was warm, he smelled rather nice. This boy from the poor side of town had been nicer to her than her boyfriend or even her own parents had. She didn't remember when, why, or how she started kissing him, only that she did.

"No!" Chris uttered as he pushed her away before she sealed her mouth onto his again. "I said no man!" Chris struggled to push her off him, for a petite girl, she was pretty forceful.

"Chris, make me feel good." She begged him.

"No, you're not thinking straight." He tried to reason.

"Please Chris, I just want to feel good, make me feel good again." She nuzzled into his neck. "No one will ever know." She whispered into his ear.

"I'll know." He said, whether to her or himself, she didn't care, she just wanted to taste those sweet lips again, so intoxicating. She was determined, Geraldine Slater always got what she wanted and what she wanted right now was Chris Chambers. He was so different from all the other boys she had been with.

"Chris, please, make me feel good again." She stared at him with big blue eyes. Chris tried to protest again, but even they were starting to feel half-hearted. She could tell he wanted this just as much as he did.

"I just want to feel good." She told him breathlessly. She knew he was strong enough to push her off him, but he was barely trying. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. She smirked at the way he shuddered from the touch. She guessed he was inexperience and never made it past first base.

Chris knew this was wrong, they both knew what they were doing was wrong, that's why they were going to do it anyway. Plus this was the best chance he got at getting laid since the last time he almost went all the way with a girl, his brother had cockblock him out of a weird sense of love.

'_You don't want get with girls like that little brother, they're nothing but trouble._'

He closed his eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Promise me you won't." She asked him.

"I won't." He told her. Despite how much he wanted to do this, he kept telling himself that it was only a matter of time before she came to her senses and told him to stop. And he would obey, he would get off of her, walk out of her house, and never speak of this again.

But seeing how they had wound up in (what he assume was) her room, she had taken his shirt off, and he was unclasping her bra, he had a feeling she wasn't going to say Stop anytime soon.

* * *

Chris and Geraldine just stared up at the ceiling, both breaking heavily. Chris couldn't believe what they had just done, and seeing the look on her said she couldn't believe it either.

She was all over him an hour again, crying and begging him to stay, now she won't even look at him. Even after he had given her exactly what she wanted. She got out of bed and Chris followed, both of them looking around the room for their clothes. She seemed to avoid looking at him as much as possible, but Chris would sneak the occasional glance. He watched her get on her knees and looked for something. Chris looked down and saw on his foot what she was looking for.

"Uh?" He uttered, she looked at him and blushed, snatching her underwear from his hand. He was grateful he had closed the door shut even though he was pretty sure they were home alone. The last thing they both wanted was for someone to walk in and see them both in all their naked glory.

"You're not gonna tell anyone, are you?" She asked him. He looked at her as he put on his own underwear. So he was good enough for a fuck but she didn't want anybody knowing about it?

"I don't know." He told her as put his pants on. He wondered what his old friend Teddy would do in this situation? Probably promise he wouldn't only to brag about it the next day.

"Christopher, promise me you wouldn't." She begged. This was the first time she had ever used his full name. Nobody called him by his full name saved for his parents, a few of the teachers, and maybe Eyeball when was taunting him.

"Why not?" He asked her, she cringed at the bitterness in his tone. "Afraid you're boyfriend might find out, or that everyone else will know you were foolin' around with a Chambers kid?"

Her clothes were mostly on, but the look on her face was terrible. She looked like she was expecting him tell every Tom, Dick, and Harry the moment he step out of the door. He was starting to wish he wasn't always so sensitive to other peoples' problems, because he would never take advantage of another person like this. Now he felt worse about what happen.

"I won't tell." He grunted in defeat, putting his socks on. Geraldine just watched him before going into her dresser and pulling a twenty out.

"Here." He stuck the money out. Chris had put his shirt back on when he saw the money and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Was she trying to pay him off for the sex or for keeping his mouth shut? He guessed that Geraldine sense the same thing as she shook her head. "You're jacket. You can use this to buy a new jacket since you're old one is falling to pieces."

Chris stared at the money. He was going through it in her face, but decided to take it as he could clearly see this was her attempt at a peace offering. At this point, he just wanted to get the hell out of this house.

And damn did he need a new jacket.

"Stay away from me, man." He told her, "Don't ever come near me again. Just stay away." Just looking at her made him feel like shit. He was just trying to be nice to her and comfort her, and now he feels all dirty and cheap and used. It's bad enough everybody else in towns sees him as dirt, did she have to take his pride too?

"I won't," She promised. Snatching the twenty from her, he quickly left the room and slam the door. Geraldine felt his eyes start to prick up with tears again.

**The End**

* * *

A/N: Well that wasn't a Happily Ever After, was it? Tell me what you think.


End file.
